Texas is proud to be the energy capital of the world, producing nearly half of American crude oil and more wind and solar than any other state. Today, Texas is poised to dominate yet another new renewable energy source: hydrogen. This new energy frontier has the potential for billions of dollars in economic and environmental benefits for our state.
As we all learned in chemistry class, hydrogen is the simplest and most abundant element in the universe, making up 90% of all atoms. When used for energy, hydrogen (H2) becomes H2O—with zero carbon emissions. Hydrogen is also unique among renewable energy sources because, unlike wind and solar, it can more easily be stored and shipped.
Texas has significant advantages over other states in developing hydrogen energy. About 95% of the hydrogen energy in the world is captured from natural gas byproducts. Texas produces nearly a third of America’s natural gas—meaning hydrogen allows us to make our natural gas go even further. Hydrogen can also be captured from renewables and nuclear energy, both of which Texas has in abundance. Not to mention Texas has an unrivalled skilled energy workforce and most of America’s hydrogen pipeline infrastructure.
Read more in RealClearEnergy here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
